lkemerson

We will be staying at the World Trade Center [has another name too, can't think of it right now] in Boston from Aug. 23-27th. Can anyone tell me anything about the hotel? I got a phenomenal fare on expedia for it...and I do mean a great price. We looked for several days for hotesl in this general vicinity [moving our son there for college].


Any suggestions as to 'what not to miss' is another thing we are looking for. What about whale watching trip out of Boston harbor, vs. Gloucester?

Filene's basement...worth the trip?

Great places to eat? We're not fancy food folk, just your basic good food.

We will only have some afternoons free for part of the week [be moving him in] so what do you suggest for something to do for just an afternoon.

Can't wait, never been there, and now I'll be going a lot.

Karen

Anonymous

The hotel across the street from Boston's WTC is the Seaport Hotel, and it's a very lovely place. Unfortunately, it's in the middle of noplace, tourist-wise, that's why there are bargains to be had when there's no conference at the WTC.

Filene's Basement -- I wouldn't bother; it ain't what it usedta be
Whale watching -- they all head out to the same area of the ocean (Stellwagen Bank) so it doesn't matter where you start, go with whichever is convenient.

Hotels -- Which college will your son be attending? One very convenient location for tourists and other visitors is the Back Bay/Copley area, where you can get super bargains on hotels via Priceline

lkemerson

Thank you for the reply. Helped a lot.

Our son will be attending Tufts University School of Dental Medicine. We will coming in with all his stuff [aka junk] and moving him in. We then have orientation and as my husband and I have never been to Boston before, we are taking some time to do some sightseeing [although with our son there for at least the next 4 years, we'll be visiting Boston on a regular basis].

I am quite interested in the hotel you mentioned, if you think it is close enough to the school. We already have reservations via Expedia, so they have been pre-paid for the Seaport Hotel. Is this hotel going to be miles and miles out of the way? Can we take public transportation once we get there to easily get to where we want to be? We will have a minivan so we do have transport if not. When you say the middle of no-place...how long does it take to get to some-place? Just curious.

You were great to reply...thanks for the heads up on the Filene's basement. Where is the best shopping would you say then? Any deals [bargains] to be had?

Salem...worth the trip or should we head someplace else?

Karen

Anonymous

I've worked at the Tufts Dental School! I must say, the neighborhood has improved a lot in the past few years. But where will your son actually be living (as contrasted with studying)? In the future, that will be the more-relevant reference point for you when choosing a hotel. The Back Bay area I mentioned above is more convenient to Tufts and also closer to more tourist stuff.

The Seaport hotel offers a shuttle service to the nearest subway stop, a mile away (South Station). It's less than a half-mile from there to the dental school itself. Driving and parking in Boston are a big hassle, so take the subway ("The T") if at all possible. When you park at the hotel, be sure you make arrangements for daily in-and-out parking rates.

Salem has a lovely, recently-renovated museum, the Peabody Essex, but beyond thta it's a mystery to me and most other locals why Salem is considered such a destination by so many tourists. Good PR, I guess!

Sorry I can't help with shopping, I'm not much of a recreational shopper myself. I save my money for travel! In the Back Bay area is a huge fancy mall with two attached hotels, plus Newbury Street which is very quaint and has fancy stores and boutiques.

It's time for you to ge a nice detailed map of Boston from AAA or whoever can provide one that includes the subway stops. The public transit web site, www.mbta.com, now has a trip planner that seems to work well. There's so much to see and do here, you're going to be glad you have an excuse to visit!

HarryR

Seaport Hotel is very nice and not as poor a location as first appears. With the free shuttle to the T stop nearby and the Quincy Marketplace within walking distance it is fairly convenient to whatever you may wish to see. Public transport in Boston is very good and safe. Depending on your personal feelings about walking, many things of interest are within walking distance once you get into the area of the Boston Common. Additionally, there is a "no tipping" policy at the Seaport Hotel and the tips we offered were politely refused. Hope your trip goes well. Be sure to visit Bostons' North end which is their "Little Italy" and has some great dining if you like Italian.

Anonymous

"Walking distance" is one of those subjective terms; one person's walking distance is another's unreasonable forced march.

Nevertheless, whether you walk, shuttle, or fly, the Seaport Hotel is a mile from South Station and that much farther from everyplace else. Most other Boston hotels are more conveniently located. That's why I recommended a map for the OP to get her bearings.

lkemerson

Thank you, one and all, for the info. I work in a public library, so I am doing a bit of research before heading out.

I think for this trip, the Seaport, and the price we got it at, will suit our needs just fine. I had read about their 'no tipping' policy but do appreciate a first hand comment on it. After we get acclimated to the area, and know it better, we'll know more where we'd like to stay in the future. My son stayed at one of the hotels across the street from the campus when he went for the interview process, and loved it...it was way out of our price range for this trip. I tried Priceline.com and Hotels.com and several others, and couldn't get anything for the price I got the Seaport Hotel. The Seaport also has a parking situation that should allow me to park for 4 days for $55...that in itself is a deal!

We love Italian so the food tip is also appreciated. Is there one in particular that we should try? What about local seafood restaurants?

I am ordering a folding laminated map of Boston that includes a T-map through my library. We will leave it with our son when we leave him there [sob!] but figure, we will be making many more trips for visits to him, and he'll need it at first to learn his way around [he's lived in London and Cairo before, and is fairly big city saavy, although we live very rurally].

This first year our son will be living in the dorms there, and hopefully finding someone to rent with for the following years of his studies. I understand that in the past the area had been a bit dicey, but has improved. I appreciate the reassurance on that.

Should we [or can you] purchase a T-pass prior to coming?

What a pest...can you see I am an avid over-thinker.

Thank you again for the help.

Can't wait to see Boston and the East Coast a bit.

Karen

Anonymous

Wow, I didn't even realize the dental school HAD dorms, I'm pretty sure they didn't back in my day.

Don't bother buying a T pass. Since a ride on the subway only costs $1, most of the regular and tourist passes aren't a bargain in your situation, and I don't think you can gt them in advance anyway.

They are per-day or -week passes (like London) rather than per-ride passes (like DC) and unless you're riding several times a day it won't pay off. The per-week passes only start on Sundays. Just get a handful of the $1 tokens the first time you ride.

I love my own folding laminated map, but it doesn't have the T stops on it; perhaps yours does. You can get lots of info and maps for free at the Information Center on Boston Common, just a few blocks from the dental school. Walk up to Tremont Street and head east along the edge of the Common, towards Park street, and you'll come to the info booth right in the Common near the Park Street subway station; or take the Red Line from South Station to Park Street. The booth is at the beginning of the Freedom Trail.

ramona

Have stayed several times at the Seaport Hotel because of their great rates. Easy walking over to Quincy Market but after dark you will want to take a cab. Go to the North End for dinner - Dolce Vita is on Hanover Street with very good simple food and great atmosphere especially when the singing starts later in the evening!

gail

Every weekend in summer the North End (Boston's Italian section) has some sort of street festival devoted to a specific saint. It is something sorth seeing - street vendors with good food, a parade with statue dedicated to that saint that people put money on, etc. However, it does impact your Italian restaurant situation - you might prefer to go to eat on one of your weekdays.

At same time you go to North End, if it is Friday or Saturday during the day, go to Haymarket - a genuine open air market where locals shop and tourists browse.

Whale trips all go to same place in the ocean - if you want to see Gloucester, then depart from there, but it is not necessary.

Take a Duck tour.

Enjoy Boston this trip and when you come to visit him.

motorgirl

RE: T-passes. I agree with Anonymous - the Visitor's Passes are a great bargain if you'll be riding the T alot, but probably not for the limited amount of travelling you'll be doing, based on the fact that you've only got afternoons to sight-see.
They cover all buses and subway lines, so there is a great convenience factor, since you don't have to fumble for change & tokens, so that might be reason to buy one, but you'll have to decide if convenience is worth it. The 7-day pass would be overkill for your purposes. The 3-day pass might be worth it - it costs $11, so if you will ride the subway more than 11 times you'd save a bit of money, but I don't think you'd realize significant savings unless you're planning to do a lot of zipping around on subway and/or. If you do decide to buy a pass, you can buy them at the Visitors Center on Boston Common, as well as at many major subway stations (Back Bay, South Station I think, Government Center, etc).

RE: Maps - look for the "Metro Boston TRANSIT MAP" published by Arrow. It has a bright yellow cover and is available just about everywhere in Boston - drugstores, supermarkets, probably even your hotel gift shop. You could also check the bookstore & the magazine stand at South Station - they might have them. They cost about $3 and are a map of the city with the subway & bus lines overlaid. I've lived here for 10 years and I still use it sometimes to find out bus lines in parts of the city I don't go to often. WHen I first moved here Iused it frequently when I was out and about to find the nearest subway station. "Ok, I'm at the corner of Ipswich & Marlborough - which direction is the nearest T stop?"
I buy a new one every 3 years or so, since mine get pretty dogeared - I lend them to friends/family visiting the city all the time. Don't rely too heavily on the bus "Service Frequency" table on the inside of the map - the MBTA reworks bus schedules 4 times a year.

Don't pass up Harvard Sq & Cambridge. I'm a bit biased because I live on this side of the river, but there are lots of cool things here, too. You may not have time, since you only have 3 or 4 afternoons to sight-see, but if you have time, come on over. Don't think of Cambridge as a "separate" city. It's all one continuous metro area, and a pretty compact one at that, so nothing is very far from anything else.